POLI 330 Week 8 Discussion: Advocating for Change: How a Bill Becomes a Law
POLI 330 Week 8 Discussion: Advocating for Change: How a Bill Becomes a Law
As patient advocates, nurses can craft legislation bills to become laws and enhance health and environmental safety related to health populations. The rising prevalence of mental health issues and the need for more access to health care require legislation to increase funding to develop interventions like telehealth, and ensure more Americans get services and address their mental health problems. Increasing funding for mental health services will ensure more Americans, especially those from underinvested communities, get access to mental health services (APA, 2024). This bill proposes more funding from both state and federal governments to increase access to quality mental health services and interventions, including investing in healthcare technologies like telehealth and telemedicine, to reach the susceptible, and affected by this public health concern. Today, evidence from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (2024) shows that one in five adults (23%) experiences a mental health issue, implying that at least 59.3 million people live with mental health. Therefore, the rationale for this bill is to reduce the prevalence of mental health conditions, including serious mental illnesses that affect about 6% of adults in the country (MHA, 2024).
The bill includes increasing the federal budget for mental health to be channeled through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and state governments matching the federal allocation in their respective jurisdictions. The bill would improve health policies as it mandates investment in mental health services and ensures that individuals have quality services from qualified mental health services providers.
The legislative process for the bill to move through Congress entails statutory steps that include an introduction in the House for the first reading upon which the bill goes to a committee for hearing and possible amendments. The third step is debate where members may propose more amendments before moving to the fourth stage where voting will occur (Congress.gov, 2025). Upon its passage, the bill moves to the Senate and undergoes similar steps as in the House. If passed in both chambers, the bill goes to the president for signing it into law or vetoing it.
Lobbying for support from the public and lawmakers will be critical to ensure Congress passes the bill. Therefore, I would deploy various strategies comprising campaigns and social media, and seek support from special interest groups like professional associations such as the American Nurses Association (ANA). I will engage all stakeholders, especially families with mentally ill members, and communities, to advocate for the bill’s passage in Congress.
References
American Psychological Association (APA) (2024 October 2). New federal funding to address
the U.S. mental health crisis. https://www.apaservices.org/practice/business/technology/on-the-horizon/behavioral-health-initiatives
Congress.gov (2025). Introduction to the Legislative Process in the U.S. Congress.
https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R42843
Mental Health America (MHA) (2024). State of Mental Health in America.
https://mhanational.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2024-State-of-Mental-Health-in-America-Report.pdf
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (2024). Mental Illness.
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness
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Week 8Advocating for Change: How a Bill Becomes a Law
Discussion
Initial Post Instructions
Your team is tasked with proposing a bill that addresses a specific challenge in one of these areas: a pressing social health issue, an environmental issue, an economic issue, or a current event. Examples: increasing funding for mental health services, regulating telemedicine, improving vaccine distribution, reducing the use of plastics and hazardous materials, or increasing tax incentives for public health workers taking jobs in underinvested communities.
For the Week 8 discussion, you will take on the role of an advocacy group worker, and in one short paragraph (3-5 sentences), address a social health concern, an environmental challenge, an economic issue, or a current topic of your choice. Your task is to propose a new bill, or policy idea and how you will advocate for it.
- The Idea:?Select a social, health, environmental, or economic issue, or a current topic of your choice. Talk about why you chose this issue/topic.
- Creating the Bill:?What would your proposed bill include? Outline its main goal(s) and consider how it could improve health policies, protect the environment, drive economic growth, or address the topic you have chosen.
- Legislative Journey:?Discuss how your Bill will move through Congress and the legislative process. Here is a resource about?How a Bill Becomes LawLinks to an external site..
- Advocacy:?How would you rally support from the public and lawmakers to get your Bill passed? Would you organize campaigns, engage with the media, form coalitions, or form a special interest group? You are welcome to “think outside the box,” and come up with your own advocacy ideas.
Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to one peer or your professor.
Writing Requirements
- An Initial Post discussing one of the options provided or a topic of your choice.
- Use two scholarly sources for your Initial Post. All material within the course room can be cited and referenced as needed.
- One follow-up response post to a peer or your professor.
- Follow appropriate APA citation guidelines. Here are two excellent resources: Crediting Sources Made SimpleLinks to an external site. and the Writing CenterLinks to an external site..
Grading
This activity will be graded using the Discussion Grading Rubric. Please review the following link:
Course Outcomes
- CO 1: Differentiate between various constitutional models and theories, examining how they influence governance and diverse citizen rights in the United States and through time.
- CO 2: Critically assess current events through the lens of constitutional principles, forming well-reasoned arguments regarding their implications for democracy and justice based on American values.
- CO 3: Assess different governmental policies and laws concerning their impacts on individual freedoms and societal order.
- CO 4: Assess the effectiveness of various forms of civic participation, such as voting, activism, and public discourse, by combining insights from different sources and perspectives to create a coherent understanding of civic roles in democratic processes.
- CO 5: Formulate original policy solutions that harmonize diverse stakeholder interests.
Due Date
Due Date for Initial Post: By 11:59 p.m. MT Recommended by Wednesday
Due Date for Follow-Up Posts: By 11:59 p.m. MT on Saturday
Posts must be on two separate days.